The Fairest Revenge
by Adam Tiff
Summary: This is a contiuation of The Death of the Fairest, a story that you can read by visiting my published stories. The aftermath of the Queen's death proves destructive, as only the revenge that seemed fair is delievered.


My eyes opened, and I had to shut them again from the pain.

I woke up coughing, my lungs filled with something. I rolled over and fell off of my bed, hitting the solid wood floor harshly. I could breathe down here, and it allowed me to get enough air so I could lift myself to my knees. I rubbed my eyes and was able to blink them open.

The room was filled with a dark black smoke. I couldn't see anything above my current eye level, and that included the top of the bed. My heart grew frantic, and my voice reflected it when I spoke.

"Eric? Where are you?"

I heard a bit of moaning coming from the other side of the bed, and I crawled around the floor to see what it was. When my head poked around the corner, I saw Eric lying face first on the floor. I moved over to him as quick as I could. He had fallen off the mattress and hit his head on the bedside table, and blood trickled down his forehead to form a pool on the dark oak floor. I reached over and shook him a couple times. He simply moaned a few more times, before finally his eyes snapped open.

His voice was very weak. "Ariel?"

"Eric, we have to get out of here. I think there is some sort of fire."

He gathered himself and looked me in the eyes. "Do you know for sure?"

I shook my head, and he understood. He crawled toward the end of the bed and looked at the door. I saw his hand motion for me to follow, and we scuttled across the floorboards. I saw Eric reach and place his hand against the door, feeling it for heat, before grabbing the handle and pulling the door open.

The hallway was much like the room, but the smoke was less thick. Eric stood and covered his mouth with his shirt. I did the same, and we raced down the corridor, toward the atrium. We turned a corner, and saw the flames for the first time. They were on the cross beams above us, spreading across the wood at a rapid pace. I heard the beams moan, and my eyes grew wide.

"Eric, run! The roof is crashing down!"

He cast a glance upward, and I watched him reach back and grab my hand. He began to run faster, and he pulled me along with him. I could hear the ceiling falling behind us, but I didn't dare to look back. We came to the entrance to the main hall, and we slowed rapidly.

The fires were blocking the large doors that were normally the main entrance, and all across the floor you could see the flashing of swords sparking off one another. Men were all over the floor, piled upon one another while the surviving fought with each other. One side, I could see the colors of Aurora's men, with the insignias blossoming on their shoulders. The other men were not familiar to me, but they seemed to be winning this battle. They wore purple and bore no signs of their ruler.

I tugged on Eric's hand and led him down the stairs, trying to skirt the encounter. We pushed ourselves against the white marble wall, letting the men in center keep each other's attention. One screamed and fell, his killer one of the unknowns. He turned around to look for more people, and that was when he noticed my husband and me.

"There!" His voice was deep and rough, matching his face.

A few men began to run our way, and we turned to run. We came upon the entrance to the dining hall when one of the soldiers grabbed me. I turned quickly, seeing the man's cruel eyes. His smile was missing teeth, but it made his intentions clear. I looked down at his belt, and grabbed one of the many weapons that hung from there and yanked it free of its sheath. Spinning it in my palm, I shoved it into the gut of the man. His face contorted into one of pain, and he collapsed.

As I turned, I saw Eric had found a sword and was fighting off another man. He pushed him back to the wall, and finally stabbed him. The soldier fell the ground, his chest dripping blood. I ran through the doorway to the dining room, looking back for Eric. He was running toward me, sword in hand. He was about to walk through the door when the frame came crashing down, the fire burning through from above. I couldn't see him through the flame, but his voice rung out.

"Ariel? Ariel, Are you okay?"

"Yes!" I called back.

I could hear the sound swords lashing out once more.

"Get outside!" Eric said, sounding a bit preoccupied. "I'll find another way out, and we'll meet up!"

"Okay! Be careful!"

A scream was let loose, and Eric yelled again. "Go!"

More bits of the ceiling fell, and I was forced to back away. I turned and ran through the room, watching the fire spread from the far wall to the large dining table. It was growing fast, nearly licking the chandelier that hung in the middle of the room. I raced past the burning table and into the kitchen. Nobody was in here, but it had certainly looked as though someone had come here as soon as the fighting broke out. They had grabbed whatever food they could and ran off with it.

I tried to remember the way the castle had looked on the outside. Aurora's castle was fairly large, and had many different entrances. I knew that there was a balcony on this side, but I wasn't sure how to get there. I simply shook my head. There had to be some way to get there.

I hurried through the kitchen to the servant's hallways, the halls that the castle workers used to get around without being seen. They liked to do their work when no one was around, and they preferred not to be seen going from one place to the next. These walkways were also a faster way to get around the castle, as they led from one important room to the next. I was hoping that one of these led to the balcony, which seemed important enough.

I came to an intersection. I looked down each hall, trying to decide on which one to take. I finally just went right, which sloped upward. It seemed like my best choice. I came to a small doorway a little father down. Feeling first, I opened it slowly and looked inside. It was dark, seeming as if the fire hadn't touched this room. I opened the door all the way and saw that there were some windows in this room. Walking over to them, my mouth dropped.

The town down below was on fire as well. You could see the homes of the people perish in the flames, along with any business that had flourished under Aurora's rule. She had encouraged trade in her kingdom, and the result was the growth of the town that the castle was in, making it a very popular and rich place. In fact, almost the entire kingdom reflected this result. Now it was all gone.

I looked down, and saw that the balcony was below. All I had to do was drop down one floor, and I could get out. I went to the door on the far side of the room, and opened it. The large hall outside was dark, but it was filled with the same soldiers from the main hall. AS soon as the door opened, they all looked over at me. My heart skipped a beat. They all charged toward me, and I slammed the door shut, locking it in the process.

They began to bang against the door, and I could see the hinges strain against the force. I looked around frantically. There had to be some way out. My gaze fell back upon the window. Grabbing a nearby chair, I took it and threw it at the glass with all the might I had. The glass cracked only a bit, but it would have to be enough. I sprinted as fast as I could.

The reason I thought of the balcony was because of the river that flowed by underneath it. I remembered commenting on how pretty it was, after I had come back from Snow White's realm. Jasmine had to be seen to abut her back, and her husband was out on the terrace with me.

"So you really did it?" Aladdin had asked.

"Yeah. She tried to kill Jasmine and myself. I had no other choice."

He placed a hand on my shoulder. "You did the right thing. She just would have been put to death when she came here anyway."

"I know." I had said, staring into the water.

He followed my eyes. "Do you miss it sometimes?"

"Yes." I said, with a nod. "Sometimes very much."

"Do you keep in touch with your father?"

"I do, all the time. I miss my friends, but they come to visit form time to time."

Now, breaking through the beautiful window, I remembered that I had once been a part of the water; I had belonged to its depths. I had wanted to go down to jump off the balcony because I felt that the drop would be too much, but I know now that I would be fine. The water was still a part of me.

I arched through the air, and pointed my hands straight down. I hit the water hard, but I sliced right through the top and dove to the bottom of the river. It felt nice to be back like this. I felt my body take over, and I swam with the river.

I pulled myself out later, down river. As I sat in the shade under the tree that Eric and I had come to every night, I looked back at the castle. It was falling apart now, and I couldn't help but be worried. The men were leaving now, and they were carrying a large banner. They walked across the bridge above, and I just make out the words.

For the True Queen.

Along with the banner, a man was being dragged.

It was Eric.


End file.
